Abstract: A nonlinear revision control system for images is designed with the common digital editing and sketching workflows in mind. DAG (directed acyclic graph) is used as the core structure and DAG nodes represent editing operations, and DAG edges indicate the corresponding spatial, temporal and semantic relationships. DAG is visualized in RevG (revision graph), which provides not only a meaningful display of the revision history, but also an intuitive interface for common revision control operations such as review, replay, diff, addition, branching, merging, and conflict resolving. Beyond revision control, the system also facilitates artistic creation processes in common image editing and digital painting workflows. A prototype system has been built upon GIMP, an open source image editor, and demonstrates its effectiveness through a formative user study and comparisons with alternative revision control systems.

Abstract: A method for rendering fluid is provided. First, state information of a plurality of fluid particles is provided, wherein the state information records whether the fluid particles are located above or under a fluid surface and the interactions between the fluid particles and a terrain or the dynamic objects. Then, whether to render the fluid particles in a direction facing a viewer or in a direction parallel to the flow direction is determined according to the information that whether the fluid particles are located above or under the fluid surface. Next, the fluid particles are rendered as a plurality of two-dimensional metaballs according to the interactions between the fluid particles and the terrain or the dynamic objects, and these metaballs are stacked to reconstruct the fluid.

Abstract: The invention generates the water grids in each of the visible range of the water wave maps and the third dimension coordinates according to the intersecting points. The third dimension coordinates are corresponded to the actual water height. Finally, the invention generates a water surface having the wave change according to the third dimension coordinates. And the invention can obtain the information of the water height dynamically, generate the water surface image having the light change, including the effect of reflection and refraction, according to the information of the water height, and make the water image corresponding to the actual water.

Abstract: A method for rendering fluid is provided. First, state information of a plurality of fluid particles is provided, wherein the state information records whether the fluid particles are located above or under a fluid surface and the interactions between the fluid particles and a terrain or the dynamic objects. Then, whether to render the fluid particles in a direction facing a viewer or in a direction parallel to the flow direction is determined according to the information that whether the fluid particles are located above or under the fluid surface. Next, the fluid particles are rendered as a plurality of two-dimensional metaballs according to the interactions between the fluid particles and the terrain or the dynamic objects, and these metaballs are stacked to reconstruct the fluid.

Abstract: The invention generates the water grids in each of the visible range of the water wave maps and the third dimension coordinates according to the intersecting points. The third dimension coordinates are corresponded to the actual water height. Finally, the invention generates a water surface having the wave change according to the third dimension coordinates. And the invention can obtain the information of the water height dynamically, generate the water surface image having the light change, including the effect of reflection and refraction, according to the information of the water height, and make the water image corresponding to the actual water.

Abstract: A graphics data processing apparatus includes a graphics memory having pixel storage for storing up to a predetermined number of fragment values for the pixel. Each stored fragment value is associated with a fragment of an image that is visible in that pixel. When a new fragment is determined to be visible in the pixel, but all the available fragment values for the pixel are already in use, one of the previously stored fragment values is either replaced by, or combined with the fragment value for the new fragment. The resulting new fragment value is used to determine the color of the pixel. Alternately, if the new fragment is determined to be totally occluded by one or more of the other fragments, the new fragment may be discarded. Z-depth and Z gradient information is stored each fragment.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus determine a color for pixels in a graphics system in which images are defined by pixels. Multiple fragments of an image may be visible in any given pixel. Each visible fragment has a fragment value that includes the color of that fragment. For such given pixel, up to a predetermined number of the fragment values are stored. When a new fragment is visible in the given pixel, one of the fragment values is discarded to determine which fragment values are stored and subsequently used to generate the color of the pixel. The discarded fragment value may be the new fragment value or one of the stored fragment values. Various strategies can be used to determine which fragment value is discarded. One such scheme selects the stored fragment value with the greatest Z-depth. Another scheme selects the stored fragment value that produces the smallest color difference from the new fragment value.